Page 29 of The Love Position

‘And you are. Your classes have already helped me so much.’

‘I’m glad.’

Isaac turned off the narrow lane onto a track lined with ancient and sprawling hedges. A few yards further on was a wooden gate with signs in shouty red capital letters reading: ‘Private Property’, ‘Keep Out’, ‘No Right of Access’.

Sophia’s feet faltered and she glanced at him.

Cheeks darkening, he pulled a face. ‘I apologise. They were there when I bought the plot and I’ve never got around to taking them down.’

‘Are you sure about this? We can wait for another time?’

He opened the gate. ‘If you’re going to work on your breathing, then I can work on my social skills.’ He extended an arm. ‘Please, after you.’

Stepping through, the air was cooler under the trees. In front of her, the track wound through the wood.

‘Where’s your house?’

‘A short walk. It’s pretty tucked away.’

‘Estelle thinks you live in a tree.’

He burst out laughing. ‘That’s pretty cool, but a bit impractical. I live in a bungalow.’

Sophia thought about all the bungalows she’d ever seen and tried to imagine Isaac living in one. She couldn’t.

‘I lived in a cave for a bit when I was in India.’

‘You did?’

‘Yes. I spent a couple of months on my own in silence.’

‘No way! What was that like?’

‘Intense. You can’t hide from yourself.’

‘How did you get food?’

‘It was brought for me every day and left in a box a short distance from the cave so I wouldn’t have to talk to anyone.’

‘Wow. I’m pretty quiet, but I can’t imagine going even a day without talking to someone. Were you lonely?’

He shrugged. ‘At certain points, yes. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, but at the end I felt as if I’d ordered things in my mind a bit more.’

‘Did you achieve enlightenment?’

‘Not in the slightest. I’m a pretty unevolved soul. It’ll take me many more lifetimes before I get there.’

Sophia wasn’t sure if she believed in reincarnation, but Isaac seemed the most altogether man she’d ever met. Someone who’d done the work on themselves and knew who they were. She thought she knew herself well, but she’d missed every sign with Marcus and sold herself short.

The track curved around to the right, their destination hidden behind a cluster of thick holly and yew trees. Isaac slowed as they approached the bend, as if delaying the moment when she saw where he lived.

She stopped. ‘Has anyone else ever visited you before?’

He shook his head. ‘Not even Eveline, and she’s my closest friend.’

‘Well, I won’t judge and I won’t tell anyone I’ve been here if that makes you feel any better.’

‘It’s only a house. I think I’ve been protecting my privacy more than I need to.’

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